At the beginning, he had tried to be as unobtrusive as possible to keep from making this any more difficult for her than it had to be. Constantly being watched by someone being paid to do so cannot be fun for anyone, but it was necessary, and so he was determined to do his duty even though she probably hated it.

Eventually, they grew close enough to be friendly with each other, until he was able to sit in her rooms and idly read a book while she did the same across the room, both of them cordially ignoring each other with the kind of silent camaraderie he rarely gets to enjoy in the chaos of his own home.

When they started their dalliance, Benedict had been a clueless, virginal boy, barely even kissed let alone properly bedded. None of the girls of his acquaintance were interested him in such a fashion, either because of his warriorborn status or because they were his blood relatives.

His posting as Ninon's guard has been eye-opening in many respects.

Despite the nearly sub-vocal rumbling that vibrates in his chest, Benedict's kiss is soft and gentle in sharp contrast to the way she fists at his hair, tugging at him demandingly. He is always gentle with her, far too aware of his own strength, wanting to avoid hurting her in any way.